The couple lives alone while their two sons are at Kalbadevi (away from the parents) and Borivli.

Alert volunteers of a Ganesh mandal caught two robbers who had tied an elderly couple to allegedly rob them at knife point at Kalbadevi in South Mumbai. The police later arrested two more people of the gang.

The incident took place at 3.30pm on Sunday, when the couple was alone at home.

The 76-year-old complainant, Gopi Kishan Ramgopal Garg, lives at Garg Bhavan in Kalbadevi. The police said that Garg owns the building and has rented out 105 rooms of the building. The couple lives alone while their two sons are at Kalbadevi (away from the parents) and Borivli.

An officer from LT Marg police station requesting anonymity said, “On Sunday afternoon, the couple was alone at home when the one of the six gang members approached the family posing himself as BMC officer. The couple opened the door, following which others entered the house.”

The gang tied the couple and taped their mouth. After stealing all cash and valuables totaling Rs17 lakh, the six removed the tape from their mouth fearing that they would suffocate to death.

“The six removed the tape and started fleeing from the spot. As soon as they opened the tape, the couple raised an alarm for help, following which the volunteers at a nearby Ganesh pandal chased the six and nabbed the two,” said an officer.

The police said that the gang is from Patripol in Kalyan. The gang knew that the Gargs get rents at the start of every month.

“The gang knew that the couple gets rent in cash which would be in lakhs, so accordingly they hatched a plan and executed the offence. The two were nabbed while they were fleeing with Rs17 lakh,” said an officer.

The arrested accused revealed the locations of the other two accused to the police. The other two were arrested from Kalyan. The four men were produced in court and remanded in police custody.